Bali - The experience of a newbie
Mum, Dad and 4 daughters (17, 15, 12&12) headed off to Bali 7/6-19/6 from Hobart, Tasmania. First timers to Bali and international travel. Limited but not super low budget. I did read, web search and talk to friends who have been in Bali but the stuff below didn't necessarily come up. So I hope it helps other ‘newbies'.
Why Bali, 30C everyday, different culture, swimming in the pool at the beach, shopping and cheap food perfect for 4 young ladies and their parents. Note: there isn't many fishing tackle shops or hardware stores so guys you will just have to be patient.
Budget. Other than accommodation, airfares and special trips was using about $150AUD per day but wasn't trying hard to keep any particular costs down.
Other than airfares, accommodation and airport pickup don't book anything as it will save you money. Bali is a cash economy so for other than high end purchases expect to pay cash and bargain. Exchanging money is easy and everywhere. So bring as many $AUD as you feel comfortable with (check your accommodation has a safe) and exchange into Rp when required. Rates quoted by Australian banks and at Airports are rubbish compared to what you get in Bali. Only exception being the $25USD pp (per person) with you for the arrival tax and make sure you have 150,000Rp pp with you before you get to the airport as the departure tax.
Also on money, there are plenty of ATMs (but hardly any actual banks in the tourist areas). Get yourself a commonwealth account as there are lots of these usually in 24hr mini marts. Look for the big yellow square. They also let you withdraw 1,500K Rp (1,500,000Rp) at a time, every ATM we tried had much less. There is a 20K Rp fee regardless of the amount and $5AUD ‘other bank' charge if you aren't using a commonwealth card. So next time I will take much more cash and avoid the fees. Check with your bank that your cards will work in Bali and any other ‘charges' also clear them such that Bali based transactions won't be flagged as ‘unusual' and your card blocked by the Bank because they couldn't contact you to check.
Forget travellers cheques. Conversion rates are really bad compared with cash.
Power outlets are definitely 2 pin round European. If you have lots of devices like us bring a power board and you will have no problems.
Health. Vaccinations, this was a hard one. A health professional can do nothing but recommend tetanus, typhoid and HepB. At $700 for the family and limited risk/exposure/duration we decided on no vaccinations. Time will tell if this was a bad call. Take your doctor and pharmacy contact numbers with you as it is easy to ring them for advice than muck around locally. One daughter got an ear infection which was successfully treated with drops from a local pharmacy. I believe that most pharmacy will issue any common drugs as long as you know the exact the name and strength required eg from your local doctor. Bring plenty of sunscreen as it was 2x the cost of that in Australia and with the amount of skin we had to cover should have taken along a 20L drum of the stuff. Some dressings, disinfectant, panadol, imodium (for the runs) finished off our first aid supplies.
Take a few colour copies of your passport as these are easy to give away and you don't need to get them back.
The plane. We flew Jetstar with no issues. We only required 3 x 20kg baggage allocation + carry on and just made it back with 57kg. Take minimum clothes. It really is warm and if you run out of T shirts just buy a few more. No need for that tux and you will hardly ever wear shoes. Don't get the onboard food, it is rubbish anyway. We did get the onboard entertainment (ipad) for the long legs. Really not required and you could easy share 1 between to if you don't bring your own and buy a few movies to watch prior.
Bali airport (DPS). It is a bit of a shocker (new one under construction) so arrange for someone to pick you up and take you to your accommodation irrespective of cost. With a midnight arrival after no sleep, your powers of operation are limited particularly when 50 people are yelling ‘transport' at you. Dera on +62 81 2388 1860 is an excellent driver with a great personality. Try and get a Visa on Arrival (VOA) form on the plane and fill it out. If you like, just make up any information that isn't on your passport. Our flight ran out and there wasn't enough at the Airport. Have your $25USD pp with you. Suck up the inefficiency of the entire airport process and the need for a piece of paper repeating what is on your passport which is scanned.
Language. It is far to easy (and embarrassing) that most of locals and certainly all those in the touristy areas can speak English, as well Balinese and Indonesian. No troubles there. Learn some Balinese (sook-sa-mar (thank you)) as it is very much appreciated. Plenty of web based stuff available.
Transport. As we have a family of 6 it was vans for us. There are plenty of them and had no trouble getting transport anywhere. 300-400K for the day. Sanur to Kuta 75K each way. Sanur to our accommodation 25K. Sanur to Jimbaran 300K return including a lap through Kuta and waiting a couple of hours. Ubud to Airport 250K. Fuel included. Never had to supply meals to our drivers. Traffic is bad and it takes time to go anywhere. So maybe be better to stay close to where you wish to visit so you can walk and move accommodation several times. For this reason next time we would spend a few nights at Kuta, Sanur, Ubud instead of travel so much.
Bargaining1. On your first day. Don't buy anything!!! (like we did). With your lack of tan and nervousness, your stand out as a newbie and are a prime target. It was a bit of a shock to the girls as it was full on, in your face, buy this, very cheap, for good luck etc. Just say no thank you or better still ‘I have no money' in Balinese. You need to get your bargaining legs first. Check out the department stores like Matahari and Hardy's and get an idea of the prices of items your may be buying and plan not to pay anymore. For example, a belt on the street started at 120K we bargained to 60K and bought it then saw it at Hardy's for 25K.
Bargaining2. It really depends on how hard you wish to go, try for win-win, it is not just about the lowest possible price, but have some fun, it is part of the local culture. Do it with a smile and take part in the game of cat and mouse, you being the mouse but the mouse does have the money. Take comfort in the fact that people you are bargaining with are far better at it than you are so I am sure they will never sell at a loss. If you feel that you have got a good deal and the local looks OK to then the 1 or 2 dollars to us makes no difference but to the locals it really does mean a lot. Be prepared to walk away from any bargaining process. Start low at 30% (or less) of what was asked. Quite often you need to walk away before a price will be accepted and sometimes you just keep on walking. Don't despair you will mostly likely see the same thing again and if not, you can always come back at bit later.
Restaurants. (Note any prices I list will be for 6 people, with 1 round of fruit juice drinks and a main course including tax and service charge.) Generally we could eat for around 500K. Menu prices exclude tax (10%) and a service charge between 0-15%. The tax +service charge % should be listed on the menu somewhere obvious. We accepted 5% as OK any higher and we left the restaurant. We had to walk out on several occasions due to an excessive service charge and/or prices being too high. There is only so much we would pay for the view, location, reputation. On one occasion the service charge was 15% and not advised when we sat down, it was a buffet with no menu. After a short discussion we agreed to 0%. So if you really like the place the service fee is probably negotiable. Fruit juice (crushed fresh real fruit) 10-17K was good. Mains at 35-60K was typical with the occasional 70K. Fish and whole steak was expensive so we didn't eat it. If the menu doesn't match up just walk out with a suitable apology no offense will be taken.
Water. Bottled water it is and 4 gallon bottles at our accommodation. For us it was hot so carry plenty. Buy a few bottles and then refill them at night and put back in the fridge for the next day. We did go rafting and went swimming in the river with no ill effects (keep your mouth closed) but one daughter may have picked up a mild ear infections from this (or from the pool or beach, who knows). Don't be Japanese and treat the river water like it is poisonous.
We stayed (based ourselves) at Sanur Paradise Plaza Suites for 8 nights. We booked our trip a bit late and with a large family our options were limited. Good for us as we had a 3 bedroom apartment. We thought it was good value at $180 night incl. breakfast. Great breakfast. Pool was good. The location is just a bit far from the beach to walk but there was an hourly shuttle which the girls loved as it was an open sided, bench seat affair. Perfectly OK for the application. To/From by driver+van was only 25K anyway. Staff were excellent. Didn't use the restaurant other than for breakfast. Looked a bit pricey compared to what else was available.
In Sanur. The boardwalk was an excellent place to start and over a few days we covered the entire length. Hardy's is good to get your bargaining prices set. Gelato out the front. Shindu market had plenty of stuff for the girls on offer (alas no tackle shops). Swim on the beach and in the pool. Lunch on the beach at Bennos, Café Kesuma (hard to find but it does exist) and Warung Kopi (multiple times). Dinner at Ratatoulie (multiple times, they also have free pick up), Sanur Bay (done from the beach club drop off), Stiff Chilli (great pizza), Massimos (great gelato at a good price). Warung Kopi about 300m south of Shindu markets under a big banyan tree had great food and fruit juice at best prices (approx 350K/meal for 6) in the area. Of a night Ratatoulie for Balinese/Indonesian food and great ribs was our pick for less than 600K. A previous Bali Forum blog put us on to most of these and those in Ubud, many thanks. Remember never take the Drivers eating recommendation, it will be rubbish even when given seemingly honestly.
Waterbom. One of our day trips from Sanur and a family must. Transport was 75K each way. Don't go too early in your trip as more than likely you will pickup some discount on the street and it is worth having. Could even be free if you wish to attend a time share ‘presentation' and waste a few hours of your time. 9-11am not that busy with no queues. Got busying between 11-2pm and some serious queues on the good rides. After 3pm back to not busy and no queues. Next time, we won't eat at Waterbom but will get a pass out, get some drinks at the nearby mini mart, cross the road to the Discovery Mall, pick up a lunch of bakery goods at Bread Talk, walk through to the seaward side and eat lunch with a view of Kuta beach. You will need a locker. Leave the camera in the locker and at the end of the day go out with it getting those shots. Waterbom taken shots 4 for 375K.
Sunset at Jimbaran is a must, check the web for the time get there 30mins earlier at least. We already knew the restaurants on the beach were too expensive so the following was our very acceptable alternative. From Sanur we hired a driver for 200K (incl. rtn trip). Picked up food from Bread Talk, Kuta, on the way, drinks at the mini mart. Off to Jimbaran just in time for a swim and then a twilight picnic as the sun goes down. At band at the neighbouring restaurant provided us music for a bit of evening dancing. Brilliant and at a good total cost.
Nusa Dua. If you like the jet ski thing its for you but bargain hard. As a result of a time share ‘presentation' we had free transport return to Sanur + 4 frees parasails for the kids. We also went snorkelling which was surprisingly good and then went to the turtle farm which is a must. Before committing to snorkelling ask about the visibility. The turtle farm is more like a small zoo with hands on turtle and animal experiences for an entrance fee of 1K pp. Please then buy an expensive souvenir to support their cause. The snorkelling for 1 hour + gear + turtle farm for 1 hour for six cost 350K from one of the outfits pulled up on the beach.
Kuta. Surfing, 4 boards, 2 hours, 200K, from Mickey Mouse but only for his personal friend Donald Duck who just happened to be in town. You have to get quite rude with the local hawkers to keep them at bay. Next time I would seriously think about a water pistol. Walk along the beach to Discovery Mall. Not really our thing and too high end for us. Other than bread talk give it a miss unless you wish to shop ‘western' in Bali. Matahari, Kuta on the other hand was great. Big souvenir range + department store stuff at good prices. There are our markets in the general area as well.
Sanur Shopping. Shindu market, Hardy's, miscellaneous street shops. We did pickup a formal dress for No2 daughter at a Boutique for 700K but not a great range at Sanur. If you have a special event coming then Bali is a great place for that cheap formal outfit and accessories.
Hired a driver (Dera) for a day touring. 400K (incl. fuel and no expectation on being fed, 9 hours all up, well worth it). Dera was great, good English, excellent knowledge (other than restaurants). Barong dancing, 100K pp was good and considering the number of people involved the price was OK. Silver place, nice to look at but way beyond our price bracket. Wood carving, once again nice to look at and see the carving being done, bought nothing. A bamboo flute was 40K which we later bought at a market for 4K. Coffee place, one of the ‘Agro Tourism' ventures. Lovely setting on the hillside with a walk throw a wild ‘garden', lots of tropical plants including coffee and cocoa pointed out by Dera. Free tea, coffee, cocoa samples overlooking a lovely jungle valley very relaxed. See the coffee making process and some local animals, play the angklung (xylophony thing). Best part of the day. Off to the volcano, worst lunch of the trip. Back to the holy water temple with another great description by Dera. Rice terraces. Then back to Sanur.
After this Dera was our driver whenever possible. Never let us down, always early, always happy, talkative and very knowledgeable. Highly recommended. Contact him on +62 81 2388 1860 or in Bali 081 2388 1860. Use SMS to confirm your instructions/arrangements so there are no misunderstandings.
We then spent a few nights at a villa near Ubud. It was Villa Teras and there is a separate review on their website. Nice place but a bit too far out of Ubud even with a driver provided. The 8kms took 15-20mins each way. Much better to stay somewhere on Monkey Forest road and be right in the heart of it and be able to walk everywhere. Had a quick look at Ubud Terraces and Warsa Bungalows both seemed OK and had a pool, which you will need to cool off in.
Ubud. Very busy when the day trippers hit town between 11am-2pm. After that very pleasant. Checked out a few galleries, monkey forest, more shopping (still no tackle shops), took a walk out into the rural landscape, meet 10yo Dewi in the middle of the rice paddies and had a chat with her and her mum. Meet some ex-pats and joined in a game of ultimate frisbee. Chilled at the villa. Massages all round at 60K pp. Ate at Three Monkeys, Warung Ibu Oka (suckling pig), Café Wayan (repeatedly). Café Wayan has a beautiful garden setting, great food, great staff, good prices. We just kept eating there as there was no reason to eat anywhere else breakfast/lunch/dinner. As an example of the service, for those with young kids the staff would distract them, carry them about and generally try to keep them happy while the parents ate, at no cost (other than a tip) what's more the staff appeared to genuinely enjoy doing it. A special place.
Rafting. Went rafting with Bahama Rafting on the Ayung River, 250K pp arranged through Dera included transport and lunch. Surprisingly good with the water levels we had. Go early before the crowds (in the water by 10am). There are no safety issues if you are competent in the water as most Aussie are. We had life jackets, helmets and a bit of instruction but like what we have had in Aus, but pretty much no chance getting into trouble. Have some water fights with other rafting companies as the Chinese and Japanese rafters don't quite know what is happening.
Time to go home. Back to the Airport. Make sure you have the required 150K pp with you before you get to the airport as there didn't seem to be any ATMs in the departure area and the exchange rates quoted were rubbish. It has to be 150,000Rp in cash, no credit card. You need the second half of that VOA form and a fair amount of patience. We went via Bread Talk again to pick a good lunch so that we could bypass the airport fare. 6oC on arrival in Hobart felt very cold.......probably because it was.
Bali - a lovely place to visit, great weather, beautiful people, easy to get around.